Start Your Own Magazine For Profit and Fun

If others can do it, you can too. And the truth of the matter is that in spite of the naysayers, there are people who are starting up magazines and having success with it.  How are they finding success?

The most successful independent magazine publishers know that they need to completely understand their chosen niche. They have spent hours learning everything they can because if they don't, their readers will know it and call them on it. Calling a magazine publisher on lack of knowledge about their niche means lost readers and lost readers means lost advertising dollars.

Some new magazine publishers who are finding success are also being different. Sometimes, this means a non standard height and width of the magazine. It could also mean finding subjects that are controversial and not being afraid to run them. Sometimes it can mean being very selective in who you accept as advertisers.

Being selective in what advertising you accept may sound like not such a good idea in a revenue hungry and competitive industry, but bear in mind that many of your readers also buy because of the advertising content. If it's not directly related to them, they're not going to look at the ads. That means a failed ad campaign in your magazine. The advertisers could blame your readership and not the poor choice of advertising venue they selected. Perhaps Michael Brooke, publisher of Concrete Wave puts it best:

"Putting in non-endemic advertising would weaken my message. This means I turn away advertising if it is not completely related to skateboarding. Yes, I have turned away Pepsi."

Finally, if you hope to be successful, you need to love what you do. If you don't love it, then find a way to love it if you are serious and determined.

If you're thinking about launching a new magazine, you'll want to read up on how being small, smart, and aggressive with laser like focus can help you succeed in the magazine industry.